Joseph P. Morey Jr. Revocable Trust’s Hush of a Storm survived an inquiry and bested 10 other 3-year-olds in the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes Feb. 26 at Turfway Park, earning 10 points toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.
Tag: Racing
Fonner Files: A Tip Of The Hat To Stetson
Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak shares slices of life from the Grand Island, Neb., racetrack throughout the 2021 meet in the Fonner Files.
The frozen tundra has melted away, and the main and training tracks have become flooded with horses.
The entry box has seen significant improvement as well, but it won't be until next weekend before we hit full stride at Fonner Park.
Trainer Stetson Mitchell and his wife Ramsye have a training facility in Binger, Okla. (home of Hall of Fame baseball player Johnny Bench), but they didn't arrive to Fon in full force until after opening weekend. However, Stetson said he only missed five days of training due to the February Freeze.
In 2020, Stetson started 149 horses at Fon and finished fifth in the standings with 22 wins and a 15 percent win rate. He then went west to claim leading trainer honors at Arapahoe Park last summer with 22 wins from 150 starts – he's consistent. Stetson trains to race; watch for his runners at the entry box and winners circle.
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Champion Vequist Tops 106 Early Nominees To Kentucky Oaks
Champion 2-year-old filly Vequist, winner of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1), tops the roster of 106 early nominations to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), North America's premier race for 3-year-old fillies that will be staged at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on Friday, April 30.
Owned in partnership by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swillcan Stable and trained by Butch Reid Jr., Vequist was a dominant two-length winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is based at Palm Meadows in South Florida and is entered in Saturday's $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
Other top contenders that were nominated to the Longines Kentucky Oaks include Stonestreet Stables' $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) winner Clairiere and OXO Equine's runner-up Travel Column; Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' $350,000 Alcibiades (G1) winner Simply Ravishing; and Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat.
Each of the 106 fillies nominated to the Oaks were made eligible by a $200 payment that was due Feb. 13. A complete list of nominations will be available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.
Trainer Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with nine fillies nominated to the Oaks followed by Kenny McPeek who had eight.
Fillies not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks can be made eligible through a $1,500 late fee due April 10 or a $25,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry. The Oaks field is limited to 14 starters and up to four fillies can be designated as “also-eligible” to start. Eligibility to compete is determined by points amassed during the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” point series.
Like the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, the Longines Kentucky Oaks has been run each year without interruption since 1875. The lucrative race is the centerpiece of a spectacular day of racing and entertainment at Churchill Downs that celebrates fashion, food, celebrity and fun with a focus on women's health issues and outreach.
Klaravich Stables' millionaire Digital Age (IRE) is nominated to attempt a repeat bid in this year's $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (Grade 1) on Saturday, May 1 at Churchill Downs.
The Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, run at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course, annually attracts some of the nation's top turf horses. This year's race has 75 horses that were nominated. Previous winners include 2019 Horse of the Year and Champion Turf Male Bricks and Mortar; two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan; and Eclipse Award winners Manila, English Channel, Sky Classic and Paradise Creek. Einstein (BRZ) a Grade 1 winner on both dirt and turf, won back-to-back renewals in 2008-09.
Digital Age is one of 17 horses from trainer Chad Brown's stable nominated to the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic.
Another accomplished turf specialist nominated to this year's race is Robert and Lawana Low's $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) winner Colonel Liam. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Colonal Liam joined six other stablemates on the nomination list.
In total, 13 Grade 1 winners were nominated to this year's Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic. The full list of nominations are available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.
The winner of the March 20 Muniz Memorial Handicap (G2) at Fair Grounds will be granted an automatic berth to the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic as well as the Arlington Million (G1). The winner of the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic also will be granted an automatic berth to the Arlington Million.
Horses nominated to the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic were made eligible by a $100 payment that was due Feb. 13. Horses not nominated can qualify through a $1,000 late fee due April 10 or a $20,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry on April 27. The race is limited to 14 starters with preference given to winners of graded turf stakes and, after that, highest earnings in stakes races on turf in 2020-21.
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Live Racing Returns To Will Rogers Downs On March 22
Join in the excitement of live horse racing this spring at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs.
For the 12th consecutive year, top Thoroughbred contenders will compete in more than 270 races from March 22 to May 26 at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla. Races begin at 1:00 p.m.
“As one of only a few tracks running last spring, we are now very rehearsed in conducting a safe race meet under pandemic restrictions and CDC guidelines,” said John Lies, racing secretary, announcer and oddsmaker at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs. “We broke new ground with the extended audience we reached last spring and look forward to keeping their attention with another exciting meet.”
Stakes races begin April 12 with the $50,000 guaranteed Wilma Mankiller Stakes, followed by the $50,000 guaranteed Highland Ice Stakes on April 13. A purse of $55,000 is also guaranteed for the Miranda Diane Stakes on May 3, the TRAO Classic Sprint on May 4, the Cinema Stakes on May 24, and the Will Rogers Stakes on May 25.
Closing out the spring meet stakes races on May 26 are the More Than Even Stakes and the Cherokee Nation Classic Cup. Both races carry a purse of $55,000 guaranteed.
“We worked with the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma to adjust purses and to create the most competitive racing program possible,” Lies said. “Our hope is that the heightened class levels help us retain the stronger collection of shippers we enjoyed last year, while also providing richer opportunities for the local stock.”
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